A study of service user and carer involvement in social work admissions in one U.K. University - power, professionalism and trust.

In June 2002 the Department of Health upgraded social work training in England, resulting in the Diploma in Social Work being replaced by a new undergraduate and master‟s level qualification. Amongst the requirements outlined for the new degree in social work was one that programmes approved to provide the new training had to involve representatives of stakeholders, particularly service users and carers in the selection of new students. (DoH 2002). This paper reports on a single case study of one university in the U.K. where this policy was implemented. The study sought to explore some of the tensions implicit in the policy of involving service user and carers in admissions from their perspective.